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West Seattle restaurants: ‘Soft open’ debut for Duos Lounge

December 15, 2012 12:47 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   Luna Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(STORY UPDATED MONDAY with planned days/hours)

It’s been almost four months since Duos Catering moved into the former Avalon Restaurant spot at 2940 SW Avalon Way (as reported here in August). The owners said they planned to open a “neighborhood hangout” – and they’re finally ready. Last night, during their “soft open,” WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams stopped in, photographing both the small-plates food …

(Grass-fed beef sliders with applewood-smoked bacon, Tillamook cheddar, onion jam)
… and the people – here’s co-owner Benjamin Jury checking in with guests:

More of Nick’s photos ahead:

More food – this is asparagus soup, with Parmesan custard and Parmesan tuile:

In the kitchen, executive chef/co-owner Wil Yee, putting the finishing touches on an order of crab cakes:

Here’s the crab cake, with Dungeness crab, apple salad, saffron & vanilla bean beurre blanc, citrus gastrique:

At the bar, Marcus McQuade, preparing a cocktail:

Waiter Peter Attieson, opening a bottle of wine:

One more food photo! Corn dogs (really!) with fresh-corn crust and chipotle honey mustard:

While this is a “limited opening” week, Duos tells us the grand opening is planned for next Friday and Saturday:

P.S. For a look at the “limited opening” menu – go here. And call to check if they’re open before you go, since this is “limited opening” week – 206-452-2452.

ADDED MONDAY: Benjamin Jury says they’ve decided on days/hours for starters: “We had a great weekend working kinks out and feeling good about our service. We plan on being open Tues – Saturday from 5-9:30 for food, and bar stays open until 12 Tues-Thurs., 2 am Fri-Sat. Our kitchen hours aren’t set in stone and will probably change after the new year. This next weekend will be our Grand Opening.”

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22 Replies to "West Seattle restaurants: 'Soft open' debut for Duos Lounge"

  • zip line December 15, 2012 (1:09 pm)

    The food looks great! Good luck to Duo’s.

  • Rick Steel December 15, 2012 (2:09 pm)

    They catered our wedding in March. The food was incredible and everyone raved about it. If the food at this location is half as good as that, Mrs. Steel and I will surely be regulars.

  • John December 15, 2012 (2:46 pm)

    Yeah, I need to check this out.

  • shed22 December 15, 2012 (3:26 pm)

    Beautiful space. Happy to have you around.

  • Joan December 15, 2012 (3:52 pm)

    They catered our wedding party in July. My husband just about had a fit just now looking at the photo of the beloved sliders. Hot damn those things are good! Can’t wait to get in there and try out more of their yummy goods!

  • KD December 15, 2012 (5:25 pm)

    Wow, the beautiful glow of the nighttime ambience, the amazing looking food/menu.. I can’t wait to get in to try. Looks like business will be a success. Question though: does everyone that works and owns Duo’s have to be extremely good looking?!? Congrats and great photography Nick Adams!

  • themightyrabbit December 15, 2012 (7:55 pm)

    Just went there tonight with some folks. Had almost everthing on the food menu across our party. This place is awesome.

  • cjp December 16, 2012 (3:58 pm)

    That number goes to the catering office, which is open only during the week, so it looks like the only way to find out if they’re open is to head over.

  • Sue December 16, 2012 (10:53 pm)

    I ate here last night with 5 girlfriends for a birthday celebration. We started with ‘one of everything’ and a round of cocktails. Then, we ordered 2nd rounds of our favorites: corn dog bites (I know!!!? But they are goooood), truffle gnocchi (OMG), crab cake and sliders. Everything was great. We also really liked the cocktail with blood orange juice and bitters…… I will definitely be back!!

  • cwit December 16, 2012 (11:02 pm)

    Good looking food and photos. Always glad to hear about more dining out options in West Seattle and looking forward to trying it out.

  • Nick December 17, 2012 (10:46 am)

    looks good ill definetly stop in and check it out

    • WSB December 17, 2012 (11:19 am)

      For anybody just catching this story today – I now have some information on days/hours – they decided what they’ll do for starters. Adding to the end of the story – TR

  • MARY December 17, 2012 (11:37 am)

    Hurrah! I’ve been scratching my head looking for a nice place to enjoy a sparkly pre-holiday cocktail with a friend after work and this is the unlooked-for solution to my dilemma. (I love West Seattle with all my heart but a nice place for a nice drink it does *not* have. I’d be delighted to hear about all the excellent places I’ve missed in comments. The Feedback has great drinks and charming staff but the ambiance is seriously lacking. The Romanza is pretty but the drinks are so-so and I feel guilty for taking up dining room space for cocktails. The Terrible Beauty is way too big and corporate. Just *try* to find a seat at Circa. I’m too old and not-single for the Matador. Etc.)

  • CJP December 17, 2012 (12:41 pm)

    Mary-

    I’d definitely stay away from Romanza for drinks. You can’t go off their cocktail menu at all. I ordered a Negroni and the bartender had to look it up on the internet. Baaaad news. Also tried one of their signature on-menu drinks, and it was pretty bad.

    Check out Copper Coin. They’re cocktail menu has a fair number of good ones, and if you’re there when the dude with the short brown hair is slinging drinks, you’re in great hands. He made the menu, and he’ll be able to make you what you want too. The two women who also tend are very nice, and do a pretty good job with most drinks, but the other guy is clearly the cocktail nerd, if you’re looking for anything a bit more adventurous.

    Come down to White Center and check out Company. Aaron and Mike both tend really well. Try Mike’s metaxa sidecar, and you’ll be back. They also have a great menu. Lots of starter sized items, some solid meals, and good standard pub fair too. You can go braised greens, pork sopas, and a cocktail, or chicken skewers, tater tots, and Olympia. Company delivers in either direction.

    Also, they do one-off sunday dinners, posted the day of, on their FB page. Great entrees well prepared in limited numbers on sunday.

    I hear Marination’s brick and mortar has a decent cocktail / happy hour menu, but I haven’t been to visit yet.

  • La Rustica December 17, 2012 (12:47 pm)

    Is it possible that every time a new restaurant cames to West Seattle somebody,in this case (Mary) as to put down all the established restaurants that have been here for years to prop up the new one??

  • Paula December 17, 2012 (1:29 pm)

    Dear La Rustica, There is lotsa love out there for your establishment. Every one of our restaurants and lounges have a little something different. Not good/bad; just a decision on where to go depending on what you’re after that particular day or occasion: Romance, Intimacy, Quiet, Sports, an Oly, Great Cocktail, Girls Night Out, Family Dinner, Mom Food, Elegance, God Wine Selection, White Linen, Mountain of Fabulous Nachos for $5 – and on and on . . .

  • CJP December 17, 2012 (3:19 pm)

    La Rustica- Perhaps its worth reading the commentary in full. And if criticism is offered, take it in stride. I think airing ones experiences is an important part of community building. If you 10 out of 10 patrons had the same complaint about a place, wouldn’t you want to know, so you could address it? In this case Mary is even saying that she values your businesses’ (or your children’s) space enough to not want to go there when she just wants cocktails, since she feels she’d be waisting space. I’d say thats a very respectful evaluation of the situation, not a put down.

    To make it clear that I’m not trying to ‘put down someone established’ just to be a hater, I will add that while I found the bar tending at La Romanza to be honestly a bit embarassing (re: the Negroni, and the poor mixing on a Clyde the Horse), the food was satisfying, if a bit predictable (very american red-sauce style vs traditional italian. soft pasta, over sauced, etc).

    Will I go back? Probably not. But that’s because I prefer to be able to order one of about a dozen standard classic cocktails with my dinner at anywhere with a full bar in that price range. To me, not having a knowledgable bar tender is the same as a server not knowing anything about the wines offered. But for many people this is not a concern. I think it is a good thing when people share these experiences. It allows informed decisions on the part of the customer, and actionable feedback for the propriator. All of which should lead to more well spent eating out dollars all around.

  • add December 17, 2012 (4:59 pm)

    I’m so excited to try Duos – I drive by regularly and have been waiting to see what was gonna happen! I’ve always loved that bar space in the past incarnations.

    As far as nice place for a drink – not a fancy lounge but we enjoy a cocktail at the bar at Fresh Bistro everyone once in a while!

  • Mary December 17, 2012 (5:45 pm)

    Yikes! I didn’t mean to be *that* person but I guess that’s how I came across. I’ve been wanting to try the original La Rustica for ages; now if I ever make it I’ll have to hide my identity. And I *like* Romanza fine for a meal but it is *not* a cocktail lounge–and doesn’t claim to be. I also like the Feedback if I’m going out with my brother–that’s where we ended up a few weeks ago because the new Copper Coin, which I also want to check out, was packed. My point was *not* to put down existing places (though you won’t see me going back to A Terrible Beauty) but to a) say hurrah for a new place that looks to be filling a void and b) ask the all-knowing WSBosphere for tips for places I’ve overlooked. Thanks to CJP for the recommendation of Company; are they near a bus line? (No car so bus access and/or walkable is important to me.) And thanks also to add; I had no idea Fresh Bistro *had* a full bar!

  • bd63 December 17, 2012 (6:07 pm)

    I went to Duos and sat at the bar on Saturday night. Marcus graciously introduced my husband and I to some new spirits that we were not familar with by providing tastings. We orderd most of the items on the menu and they were all perfect tasty tapas portions. I also went to Company this weekend and was excited to find another great menu and friendly service.

  • cjp December 17, 2012 (9:04 pm)

    Mary- Company is at 16th & Roxbury. Right on the 125, 128, 113, 560, 120, & the 60

  • My2Cents December 18, 2012 (7:44 am)

    oh, yay, just we need, more artsy foodery. And I continue to wait for local live entertainment for people over 35. Dinner and danceable music. When I was a kid my parents took us to restaurants offering dinner with floor show. Sometimes, we’d fall asleep on chairs, while mom and dad danced into the night once the performances were done. It not only was a time for the family to share music and food, but also refined our public manners. This is when I first danced with my parents…good times.

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